Water Quality on the Grand River 
                                                                         By:  Amy Londot

Project at a Glance :

The environmental department at Grand Haven Stamping Products is concerned that since tearing out their natural ground cover and increasing their parking lot space, they have more contaminated runoff that is entering the river systems.  The issue is compounded by the problem with an invasive cattail that has a dense root structure preventing water from infiltrating and being cleaned naturally before entering the river.  Here is where we come in, we will introduce our own water quality testing kits and have students test and monitor water quality at the GHSP site and potentially another site up river in science class.  In math class, we will see how to best present our findings and analyze the data to share with GHSP.
       
Driving Question:

​How can we create an effective visual representation of water quality data in the Grand River Watershed to empower stakeholders in understanding the environmental health of our water bodies?       

Standards:

• 6.SP.1 Understanding statistical questions
• 6.SP.2 Distribution of data
• 6.SP.3 Recognizing measures of center
• 6.SP.4 Displaying numerical data
• 6.SP.5 Summarizing numerical data

Team / Culture Building:

• Six Word Memoir - This PBL will be early in the year so this will be a great way for students to get to know one another.​

• Hopes, Fears, & Norms - Many students still have not gone off site since Covid, this will be a great event to set norms.
• True Heroes - This will help distribute jobs for students in each group.

​Entry Event:

• Site visit to Grand Haven Stamping Products.  Students will learn the purpose of GHSP during an interactive tour  and also observe the parking lot that was created.

Stakeholders:

• Grand Haven Stamping Products business 
• Grand Haven community members
• Marketing Director/Graphic Organizer
• GVSU: Water Resource Institute

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholders Map - Students will be determine who may affected by the driving question and by the solution.

Inquiry / Need to Knows: 

• Students will facilitate mini-lessons on how to display data.  This will cover the essential math standards for 6th grade.
• Interviews​:  Visit to Ottawa County Park - students were able to get first hand knowledge regarding invasive species and how they affect our land and water ecosystems. Students were able to ask questions to gain knowledge regarding how invasive species affect water quality.

• Students also had the opportunity to interview Christina Catanese, the Education Specialist of the Annis Water Resources Institute. The presenter works for Grand Valley State University. Students focused on data and how to present their findings to an audience.

Incubation:

• Students will often turn and talk with their table partner/group to discuss ideas and brainstorm then share out ideas. I often use sticky notes for students to write ideas on and place them on the board.  This allows students to share ideas privately if they are not comfortable sharing with the entire group.
• Idea Quota protocol - This will allow students to generate ideas on what might be displayed on their final presentation.  This may include both statistical and graphing analysis.
• How would _______ solve this  - Students will be able to focus on how the marketing director would present this for GVSU or GHSP to present their findings  to the public.​​

Data Collection

Checking in:

• The teacher will check in with groups daily,  walking around, observing their work and asking questions to help them formulate ideas and think outside the box.
• Think-Pair-Share -Students engaged in this protocol after listening to Christina Catanese's presentation.

Pluses and Deltas - This will allow teams to determine what is working well and what might need improvement.

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Solution Building:

• Statistical analysis is fairly new to 6th graders.  The teacher will  allow them to group ideas and sketch out out a plan.  Making mistakes and changing ideas is part of the process.  Getting feedback from peers and modifying ideas from other teams will also be helpful.  
• Saturate and Group solution ideas.​

• Poster Session - This will lead to a discussion on the similarities and differences between the different solutions.
• Dot Voting - This will allow students to gain insight from their peers and adjust their ideas to meet the needs of the stakeholders. 
• Invite the Marketing Director in for feedback.

Critique and Revision: 

• Metaphor Making - This will allow students to think like a business pitching their final solutions.  This will also allow for creativity and for students to connect math to the real-world.
• Elevator Pitch - The marketing director will give feedback on the posters.  This might help the students to adjust their solution to best display the data collected.

Authentic Audience:

• GHAPS Marketing Director
• Grand Haven Community Members
• Grand Haven Stamped Products employees
• Building Administrators

Final Presentation:

• Building wide/grade level share out.  This could be in a “fair” type atmosphere.  We want the entire grade level to complete the project so this would allow the authentic audience to see all the prototypes in an efficient way.  We have about 400 students in our grade level​.

• Prototyping - Students will receive focus feedback from authentic audience members.

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

•  Scale/Rubric - Students will be given a rubric to follow.  Standards that are significant to the content should be included as well as criterion given by the marketing director.  The rubric will also include collaboration and global thinking as the Skills4Success.  Students should be able to work within their collaborative group to develop a prototype to display statistical information effectively.​

• Reflection -  Students will meet goals and reflect throughout the project.  Once the project is complete we will circle back and have a focused discussion on what was learned as a result of addressing the water quality on the Grand River.  
• Students will thank the authentic audience for their time and efforts throughout the project.

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:

Amy Londot teaches 6th grade math and social studies at White Pines Intermediate School in Grand Haven, MI.

​     "PBL allows me to engage all students in math curriculum.  Students are able to make connections from the classroom to the real world."